Cannonball with Wesley Morris 'The Perfect Neighbor' Is an American Nightmare
Nov 20, 2025
Parul Sehgal, an insightful literary critic and essayist, joins the conversation to delve into the unsettling documentary The Perfect Neighbor. They grapple with the moral weight of viewing tragic events through police footage. Parul describes the emotional impact the film had on her, while exploring the framing of children as threats rather than victims. The discussion raises critical questions about the filmmakers' intentions versus viewer perceptions, as well as the ethics of showcasing trauma, race, and the complexities of storytelling in such sensitive narratives.
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Form Shapes Sympathy
- The documentary centers police body-cam footage to show events leading to a Black mother's killing and its aftermath.
- This marriage of subject and form forces viewers to question who the film asks us to identify with and why.
Police Put Burden On Children
- Police repeatedly tell the children to "leave her alone," making the kids responsible for avoiding conflict rather than addressing harassment.
Viewer Identifies With Police
- The film aligns the viewer's perspective with police officers, collapsing identification into their point of view.